UAE among the top 5 countries to deliver highest room revenue in 2023 YTD: Global Hotel Alliance

UAE-headquartered Global Hotel Alliance (GHA), the world’s largest alliance of independent hotel brands, with 800 hotels across 40 brands in 100 countries, is on track for a record year, with 2023 room revenues, room nights and total domestic and international stays year-to-date (YTD) all consistently higher than its previous best year, 2019.

Q3 results are proving a major contributor to GHA’s 2023 gains, with hotel revenues 41 per cent higher than in Q3 2022 and room nights up 31 per cent year-on-year for Q3, it said in a release.

The total revenue 2023 YTD has hit $1.7bn, which is 101 per cent higher than in 2022 YTD.

With new GHA DISCOVERY enrollments rising 46 per cent in Q3 versus Q3 2022, the rewards programme reached a major milestone, with total membership topping the 25 million mark during the period.

“It’s been a remarkable year for GHA, with all key performance indicators peaking in Q3, buoyed by incredible summer demand in every key market where our hotel brands operate,” said GHA CEO Chris Hartley.

“This unbridled appetite for travel, combined with more than 21 new properties across 14 brands joining GHA since the start of the year, has made our loyalty programme even more compelling, spurring huge growth in GHA DISCOVERY membership to reach more than 25 million,” he added.

UAE comes in fourth and fifth in terms of room revenue for GHA

The top three countries driving 2023 room revenue gains YTD are Spain, Thailand and Italy, with Singapore and the UAE coming in a close fourth and fifth, reflecting the portfolio strength and popularity of GHA hotel brand properties in these markets.

Read: UAE among top 3 most popular destinations during H1 2023, reveals Global Hotel Alliance

GHA D$ rewards

Q3 highlights also included a significant 90 per cent increase in D$ rewards currency redemptions compared to Q3 2022.

With GHA DISCOVERY members empowered to earn D$ at one hotel and redeem them at any property or brand in the alliance, total cross-brand revenue reached $79m in Q3, up 55 per cent versus Q3 2022.

This builds on the $135m total cross-brand revenue generated in H1 2023, with GHA on track to outperform its 2022 cross-brand total, which was already 25 per cent ahead of the 2019 figure. GHA is currently forecasting to hit $280m by year end.

“With D$1 equal to $1, our rewards currency, which is flexible, transparent and easy to understand and use, puts more money into the pockets of GHA DISCOVERY members and delivers significant incremental revenue to our hotel brands,” said Hartley.

“We anticipate further spikes in redemptions before the end of the year as travel-hungry members use their D$ against winter vacations, topping them up with incremental spend to give Q4 a boost, bringing a record 2023 to a busy conclusion.